What is the purpose of "LD_PRELOAD", and what security implications does it have?
Correct! Well done.
Incorrect.
The correct answer is A) "LD_PRELOAD" specifies shared libraries to load before all others when a dynamic program starts, letting their functions override same-named ones in standard libraries — useful for debugging, but abusable to inject malicious code, as some rootkits do
Correct Answer
"LD_PRELOAD" specifies shared libraries to load before all others when a dynamic program starts, letting their functions override same-named ones in standard libraries — useful for debugging, but abusable to inject malicious code, as some rootkits do
By preloading a shared library, its functions take precedence over those in libraries loaded later (like libc), enabling function interception/hooking — legitimately used for tools like profilers, but also a known technique for userland rootkits to hide malicious activity.